My Brother's Girl
by maddiemazi
Summary: Regulus is so envious of his brother Sirius. He has everything Regulus ever dreamed of. And the thing he wants most is just out of his reach, so close that he can taste her. Sirius's arranged bride, just sitting around as a slave to the Black's. But something drastic happens that may just change Regulus's life forever. Can he find the help he needs? Can he finally stand up?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Regulus, Sirius, Hogwarts, everything, belongs to JK Rowling. Arvie Bennett belongs to me!:)

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I zipped up my last suitcase, but the sound was more like a pleading. "Help me!" It cried. "Don't let them take me to America!"

Or maybe that was just me. Don't get me wrong. I always wanted to travel the world. But Sirius had left two years earlier. At age sixteen, Sirius left. At age twenty, I was being shipped off to America to meet my future bride. Arranged bride. Some hag I had never met. A pureblood. She was twelve or something. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention. The jest of it was that she was rich, pureblood and blonde. Like blonde automatically made her amazing. I had never liked a blonde in my life. What made it worse was that my parents wouldn't listen to me. Sirius's arranged wife still technically belonged to them. Even though Sirius was gone. And she was untouchable to me. Something about my fiancee's parents. But I would gladly marry Sirius's ex-fiancé. In fact, even if I wasn't forced to marry a pureblood, I'd still get down on one knee for her.

I threw my wallet at the door and galleons split out onto the floor. Fuck money. Fuck purebloods. But I couldn't tell them that. I wasn't brave like Sirius. Why couldn't I have just been sorted into Gryffindor like him? Then I just would have been able to get disowned like him and everything would be easy. Free to steal their arranged wife without a husband and run away with her. Get married and have beautiful blue eyed children with her. When she was ready of course. I hated that I couldn't. I hated all the money and I hated the privilege. Some days I just wanted to run out naked into the yard and yell, scream and run around, because I could. But in reality I couldn't.

I looked in the mirror and sighed. I retied my bow tie for about the trillionth time and sighed. I couldn't think of anything else to stall, so I pulled two of my bags downstairs, struggling on the stairs. I would just toss them down, but I knew that my cheek would be very sore if I did. So I struggled down and left my bags by the door, then came back up for another two. I noticed Sirius's door was closed. That worried me. I always left it open because it comforted me. I always felt my heart flutter, hoping he was in there and, just that time, I'd be able to see him. I didn't bother opening the door, I was too depressed to see that it was empty right now. I took the last bag downstairs and realized I forgot something very important. I went back up to my room and lifted up the bottom of the drawer. False bottom. Must have been there for generations because I found notes from my great-great grandfather when I was twelve in there. I pulled my two most precious belongings out and pocketed them. I took a deep breath, looking around. I retied my bow tie one more time and sighed, pocketing my Slytherin tie and scarf as well. I took one last look around my room and closed the door behind me. It wasn't like it was the last time I would see it. But I'd be gone for at least a couple months.

I sighed, turning back towards the stairs and Sirius's bedroom door opened behind me. I turned quickly, eyes wide and an excited grin moving to my face, though I couldn't explain why. But it wasn't Sirius who emerged. It was another very familiar face. She ran out, just in a robe and crying. She ran right into my chest and I stood, dazed, gently holding her.

"Please, Reggie! Please! Help me!" She cried, clutching onto me. She was so tiny. Her face was just creeping past my abs, and she was so young. I didn't know what to do. What was going on? I wanted to look around but nothing was registering to me. Had she just called me Reggie? I smiled a bit and bit my lip. She was so cute when she was flustered. But she was crying. I wondered what was wrong. She sobbed and kept whispering 'please' into my abs.

"Regulus darling?" My mother came up the stairs and gasped. "Poison! Poison is what you are!" She screamed at Arvie, grabbing her arm and yanking her away from me, making her scream in fear and pain. I moved forward to grab her back, but my mother's smack was so hard that I could hear the echoing from my position. I flinched back, momentarily afraid, and that was all she needed - a moment. She pushed the tiny fifteen year old and threw her back into the bedroom, making her crumble to her knees. I stepped forward to help her up, but my mother closed the door and locked the deadbolt from the hallway. An addition that was added when Sirius would sneak out to see the blood traitor Potter and the rest of his friends in the middle of the night. I swallowed hard. It was too quiet. But I knew there had also been a silencing spell over Sirius's room because he had decided to blast muggle rock music towards the end. I don't know, I kind of liked it.

My mother turned back to me with a fake smile and took my hand. Something was definitely up, she never showed me affection, even if I was her favourite child. She walked downstairs with me, just allowing me a glance at the locked door before it was out of sight.


	2. Reunion

I practically ran up to my room. Six months. I threw open the door, grinning, and flopped on the bed. It had been way too long and way too unfriendly. I held the navy pillow to my chest, clutching it hard. I liked how familiar it was. The baby blue of the home in Texas hadn't felt like this in all my months staying there. I loved this room. Even when my mother died, I was going to refuse to move to the master bed. This was my room. From the day I was born, it was mine, and I wasn't about to give it up.

I looked around and smiled. Nothing had changed. Nothing except for me I suppose. Being in America, I learned so much about their culture- and England's. I never really had anything to compare England to until now. I was quite good at golf once I discovered that the point wasn't to see who could hit the farthest, rather to get it in the hole. And it gave me an excuse to dress up. Well, dress the way I liked. I hated the suits I had to wear around here if mother was home. I'd prefer just to wear a polo and dress pants. And a hat. Because hats were unheard of if it wasn't snowing. I liked my hat. It was going into the false drawer with my other favourite things.

I just lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. That was probably my greatest achievement. The ceiling. Similar to the one at my true home, Hogwarts, it was enchanted to look like the outside sky. But my ceiling was a bit different. It was always what it looked like above the clouds. It was always sunny, or the stars were out. I had labelled the stars and constellations too, so I could keep track of where all of my family members were at any given time, though I practically had it memorized by now. I had started it the summer after Sirius left, and I only finished it after I graduated. I only got in trouble once from the ministry for using magic, but they kind of turned a blind eye to me. Powers of being the only remaining heir to the most powerful and rich family in the wizarding world.

I sighed and smiled, getting up after a while. I stretched until my palms were on the ceiling and my back cracked. I started to unpack before there was a knock on the door. I turned, dropping my boxers on the floor and carefully padded over. I didn't know why I was so scared. Perhaps because I knew it wasn't my mother- she just would have walked in. I half hoped it was Arvie or Sirius, but I knew the chances of that were very slim. I felt my wand in my pocket and twisted the handle, peering around the door before opening it. It took me just a good minute to register who it was and when I did, my eyes widened.

"Can I get anything for you, Master Black?" She asked me quietly, staring down at my feet. In six months she was inches taller, and at least a few thinner. Her voice didn't have the usual excited fire. Her hands were shaking, violently. Her regularly curly hair hung in limp waves down her back. But the thing that was most different to me about her was that she had never looked so unconfident, especially around me.

"Don't call me that..." I whispered, reaching out to brush her hair away from her face, making her suck in her air and flinch. I scolded myself for being so stupid. I had gotten used to the kind hands while I was away. I wanted to make her smile. It looked like nothing would be able to, and I wanted nothing more. I suppose it would have been hard to believe by looking at her, but to me she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was like a freshly bloomed flower that was being restricted from the water - still mesmerizing, but masked by a faltering stem. I couldn't let her leave. She looked so down, and I hadn't seen her in months. Believe me, it was some way to be reunited with the gal you love.

"The only thing I need is someone to talk to," I mumbled softly, reaching for her hand. She didn't move, and instead just slid her small hand into my big one. She walked forwards into my room with me and I shut the door behind us again. I walked her over to my bed and she sat down carefully on the edge. She played with her fingers and I kneeled in front of her. I carefully removed the shoes off of her feet and set them on the floor. Her nails were painted pink, and I found that odd. Where would she get that in this house? I slowly allowed my eyes to drift up and find hers. I searched the deep blue pools and confused myself further more. She was stiff and unseeing. Her eyes gave nothing away, but were rather a mask, hiding everything. She was normally so easy to read. Not now. Not today.

I slowly moved up to sit beside her and gently lay on the bed with my arms around her. This was something that had always been mostly comfortable for us. But she didn't cuddle into my chest for me to protect her like she did when she had a bad dream or felt lonely like she always had in the past. She just closed her eyes and gently pressed her palm to my cheek. The amount of effort it seemed to take her was excruciating.

"What happened to you?" I whispered to her, not realizing the words were out of my mouth until the ringing silence that followed. Her jaw was set and for a second I thought my stubborn Arvie was coming back. The answer I expected, however, was not the one I heard.

"Do you want me or not, Master Black?" Her voice cracked and her eyes didn't open. My heart skipped and fluttered. Something as drastically wrong here. My imagination went wild, fearing the worst. Why had I gone away? Why hadn't I gotten her out when she was begging me for help the day I left?

"Of course... I love you. I love you. But I can't. I have to get married to Elizabeth. If I could, I would, you know that, I-" I tried to explain to her, but she cut me off.

"That's not what I meant, Regulus!" She snapped hotly. My eyes widened and I swallowed. I had a mixture of anger and shock welling up inside me. No one had ever talked to me like that before. Ever. I was trying to sort out what to do when she stood, pulling her sweater tighter around her. She left her shoes on my floor and walked out without another word.

I just lay there, staring at the door for a few minutes, contemplating if it was even the same woman. I slowly got up and tiptoed to Sirius's room, opening the door just a crack to see if she was in there. She was curled up in a ball, crying into her knees. I closed the door again and let her be. I gnawed on my lip and slowly made my way downstairs. I headed towards the door to take a run. I just needed to clear my head.

"She has to earn her keep, Regulus, and she can't do that any other way," my mother called to me as I opened the door. I left it open as I jogged out, not wanting to know what she was talking about. I looked up at Sirius's window as I went by and the blank blue eyes were still following me. I kissed my hand and held it up for her to see. That was the first time I saw her smile in over half a year.


	3. Realization

What would I not give to be able to marry her?

I sat alone in my room, letting the paintbrush glide across the canvas. I didn't think it did her justice, but it gave me peace to see her smiling at me like she used to. I just stared at the wet paint for a few minutes to see her beauty and to see her happy. I hadn't bothered with a background. Just her face, laughing and crinkled with happiness, looking up at me.

When I came back from my jog, the curtains were drawn and the door was locked. It was completely silent on the inside, and that scared me for a reason I couldn't explain. I had just gone into my room and started painting. Now hours wasted away and the stars had come out on my ceiling, after I watched the sunset of course. Now it must have been close to midnight. I checked both ways down the hallway and saw my mother's door closed. It was safe. I tiptoed down the stairs to the lower floor and whispered softly.

"Kreature? Kreature where are-"

I was cut off by the light feet of the elf running. He was smart enough not to apparate after my mother had gone to bed. He bowed deeply so his crooked nose touched the floor, then looked up at me.

"Kreature is here, Master Regulus," he said slowly with a hint of excitement. He was just as glad that I was home as I was. I held a finger to my lips, which he mimicked, and together we stalked to the kitchen. I lit a few candles with my wand and turned to him, smiling. I sat down on the floor quietly and patted the ground in front of me. My mark seemed to wink at me and I smiled. I was so proud of it.

"Kreature, can you tell me things?" I asked curiously. He hesitated, then nodded. Sitting down on the floor and fixing the strap on his sack with long fingers. He seemed really hesitant, but his answer was definite.

"Kreature serves Master Regulus. Master Regulus can know anything he wants from Kreature," he said, now pulling at his feet. I smiled and looked up for a moment, trying to gather my thoughts into questions he could answer. I was going to start small and work up to the big questions, but I was too excited. I just had to know right that instant.

"What happened to Arvie while I was gone? Why's she like this?" I asked, cocking my head absentmindedly. Kreature let out a mournful sigh and continued playing with his feet, now refusing to look at me.

"Arvaleen... Very bad, bad things happen to Arvaleen, Master Regulus. Arvaleen is one of them. One of the dark ones. Arvaleen cried, Master Regulus. Days after Master Regulus left, Arvaleen cried and cried and cried... Master Regulus was packing when it happened. And was leaving when Arvaleen took her place, nearly escaping. And Arvaleen has been -"

"What was her place, what happened while I was leaving?" I said a bit too loudly, but I didn't even care. Her horror when I was leaving bugged me the entire time I was away. Still did now, when I thought about it. I wanted answers. Kreature looked scared, but whether it was from the noise or the story, I'd never know.

"Arvaleen has many visitors, Master Black, they-" he cut himself off and dived into the cupboard, motioning me over. Of course, I wouldn't fit. I was far too tall and thick for that. But I understood what he meant. With one swipe of my wand, the candles were all extinguished and I crawled under the table with a view at the front hall. I was suddenly acutely aware that I had left my bedroom door open. I heard voices and I closed my eyes tightly. I recognized the female voice, Arvie, but the male voice.

A male voice! I was the only male of the house. My head snapped up so fast that I hit my head on the chair and had to cover my mouth from swearing. Sirius. Sirius was back. Everything was silent, and that stunned me into not moving. Another man!

"Ah, Kreature. You're awake. Come here," the voice instructed. It was far too condescending and bitter to be Sirius. I gave Kreature an apologetic look as he crawled out and towards the stairs, though I was far too involved with self pity to get out myself. The man stepped out and I immediately recognized him. MacNair. That bastard. His hand was clamped around my Arvie's wrist and his aggression set off something inside me. I began crawling out when I realized she was naked. And bleeding.

"Walburga is asleep no? Give her my payment. And a tip for the... Extras." He placed several galleons into his hand and he pocketed them.

"Yes, Master Walden," he quickly turned to return to his cupboard and I was frozen in shock as to what I was witnessing. MacNair pressed her naked body up against the wall and she whimpered. He pressed his lips to hers and he whole body writhed, trying to escape his touch on her body and lips. I couldn't tell in the dark, but I swear he was smirking. He pulled back and slapped her, causing her to fall to the ground, holding her face. He let out a soft laugh and pulled on his coat, leaving my home through the front door. I was still frozen as she leaned over her own body, her spine completely visible. Her whines and sobs were quiet and that cut me to the core. She was sobbing into the floor and beat it twice with her fist before hugging herself. This is what my mother had meant by earn her keep. And it clicked. She was a slave to my mother, an equal to Kreature. He hadn't been referring to her as Master. They were equals. The first night that I was back and she snapped...

I tried not to think about what my mother had ordered her to do that night. With me. That was terrible to think of. What she had been ordered to do with me. And I probably would have done it too if she hadn't left, thinking she actually wanted it. Fuck, I was so stupid!

I padded over to her, and she went to scream, but I put my hand over her mouth. Her eyes were unseeing looking up at my face with such terror you would think I was about to kill her. I was sort of crying, and I couldn't help it. She didn't deserve this. No one deserved this, especially not her. She was so innocent, spunky, kind and loving. Forced into this. She didn't know how loved she was or how much she meant to me. I took off my shirt and put it around her, still clutching her in my chest. She leaned into me and cried into my shoulder. We just stayed that way for a long while until I noticed Kreature dancing nervously in front of us. I took my head out of her hair and looked up at him. I probably looked like shit, but at that point it seemed petty to think about that.

"Kreature must not interrupt. Kreature did not want to interrupt .. Kreature has been told to heal Arvaleen. Kreature must do it," he reached out for Arvie's arm and I saw the source of most of her bleeding. She wasn't used to the burning of the mark yet. It looked like she's been digging at it and her blood was running down off of her fingertips and onto the hem of my shirt. I nearly threw up. I had to close my eyes to keep from doing so, and it was only when I felt the small, soft lips on my cheek that I opened up. Arvie looked as beautiful and healthy as ever, and somehow that made me cry even more. It was like nothing had ever happened. No one would ever know what happened earlier that night.

"I have to be up early tomorrow. I-" she cut herself off by blowing out her air and looking right up at the ceiling. She was holding in tears. Her voice was shaky and squeaky when she spoke again. "Your mother is taking me to you-know-who in the morning." Her arm was burning from not referring to him properly, and I could only tell because she grit her teeth and mine was aching a bit from the strong magic. I had never seen someone resist before. It was my stubborn Arvie in front of me, and I liked seeing her back. But knowing what happened when someone tried to resist hurt me. I knew her well enough to know she'd never stop fighting it. She'd be dealing with that for the rest of her life. That was the first time I doubted my place. I knew it wasn't all that is was cracked up to be at that moment. Nothing good ever came from something like this.

"Come on. Get dressed. I need to get you to Sirius..." I said softly, standing. She was engaged to Sirius, technically. If he were to marry her, it would all be okay. She'd be okay. And as long as she was safe, I'd deal with my heartache.

"Yes, Master Black," she said softly. Pulling away from me and standing. I don't know what came over me, but I stood up and took her back in my arms, carrying her. I carried her up to my bedroom and packed my bag for the pair of us, while she sat on the bed, holding my shirt around her. We probably had a good twelve hours after we were discovered missing before the Dark Lord found us. I had to find Sirius in that time and convince him to protect her. It was hopeless. But I couldn't let her be abused any more.

Her voice came soft and questioning, right behind me.

"Regulus? If we get caught, please kill me. Please don't let them torture me again... Just kill me. It'll be so much easier," she whispered, pleading. There wasn't a hint of a lie in her eyes.


End file.
